Royal Air Force Waterbeach or more simply RAF Waterbeach is a former Royal Air Force station located in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire which is about north of Cambridge, England. The site was transferred to the Royal Engineers, part of the British Army, in 1966, as Waterbeach Barracks.
History
Royal Air Force The airfield was built in 1940 on the northern edge of Waterbeach village and operated under the control of RAF Bomber Command. The original control tower and many RAF buildings, including several hangars, are still present.Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, displays and unpublished archives.
RAF units and aircraft – Bomber Command, WW2 YearsUnitAircraftVariantNotes1941-1942No. 99 Squadron RAFVickers WellingtonIc, II1941-1942No. 26 Conversion Flight RAFShort StirlingIOn 2 January 1942 it was upgraded to form 1651 CU1942–1943No. 1651 Conversion Unit RAFShort StirlingI, III1942214 Squadron Conversion Flight RAFShort StirlingITwo short stays April–May and August–October 19421943No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit RAFShort StirlingI 1943No. 1678 Heavy Conversion Unit RAFAvro LancasterIIThe training unit for No. 514 Squadron RAF1943-1945No. 514 Squadron RAFAvro LancasterI, II and III
Transport Command, 1945-1949
After the Second World War, Consolidated Liberators and Douglas Dakotas from RAF Transport Command flew from RAF Waterbeach.
RAF units and aircraft – Transport Command YearsUnitAircraftVariantNotes1945-1946No. 59 Squadron RAFConsolidated LiberatorB, C and GRCarrying troops to and from India and the Far East1945-1946No. 220 Squadron RAFConsolidated LiberatorC Mk V, VI and VIII19461552 (BABS) Flight RAFAirspeed OxfordTraining in Beam Approach Beacon System, March–July1946-1947No. 51 Squadron RAFAvro YorkC.11947–1949No. 77 Squadron RAFDouglas DakotaParticipated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift1947–1949No. 62 Squadron RAFDouglas DakotaParticipated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift1947–1949No. 53 Squadron RAFDouglas DakotaParticipated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift1947-1950No. 18 Squadron RAFDouglas DakotaParticipated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift1949-1950No. 24 Squadron RAFAvro LancastrianDouglas DakotaAvro YorkC.2 C Mk IV C Mk IParticipated in Operation Plainfare and then European scheduled services
Fighter Command, 1950-1963 RAF Fighter Command took over the base on 1 March 1950 and used Gloster Meteors, Supermarine Swifts, de Havilland Venoms, de Havilland Vampires and Gloster Javelins. In addition Hawker Hunter fighters arrived in May 1955 and, two years later, the prototype English Electric P1 (Lightning) visited RAF Waterbeach.
RAF units and aircraft – Fighter Command YearsUnitAircraftVariantNotes1950-1959No. 56 Squadron RAFGloster MeteorSupermarine SwiftHawker HunterF4 and F8 F1 and F2 F5 and F827 Meteor F4s from RAF Thorney Island arrived on 10 May 19501950-1958No. 63 Squadron RAFGloster MeteorHawker HunterF4 and F8 F6a1955-1957No. 253 Squadron RAFde Havilland Venomde Havilland VampireNF2a T111957-1958No. 153 Squadron RAFGloster MeteorGloster JavelinNF12 and 14 FAW 7 and 91958-1961No. 25 Squadron RAFGloster MeteorGloster JavelinNF12 and 14 FAW 7 and 91959-1961No. 46 Squadron RAFGloster JavelinFAW 21961-1962No. 64 Squadron RAFGloster JavelinFAW 91961-1963No. 1 Squadron RAFHawker HunterF6 and FGA91961-1963No. 54 Squadron RAFHawker HunterFGA9Hunter XG264 was the last to leave RAF Waterbeach for RAF West Raynham on 8 August 1963
After the last RAF fixed-wing aircraft, from No. 54 Squadron RAF, left in August 1963, the site was used by the Airfield Construction Branch RAF until 1966.
Royal Engineers In 1966 the station and airfield remained the property of the Ministry of Defence, but was transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Engineers, part of the British Army, as Waterbeach Barracks.Planning Application CP88 – Denny St Francis (Waterbeach) , Cambridgeshire County Council, retrieved 2011-07-20 Until the closure of nearby RAF Oakington in the early 1970s, the main runway at Waterbeach remained active, along with the control tower, and was used as a relief landing ground for Varsities used in the advanced pilot training role. The former airfield was used as a training area for troops, with occasional visits by helicopters and, in the past, by the Hawker Siddeley Harrier.Waterbeach Barracks, 12 (Air Support) Engineer Group
See also List of former Royal Air Force stations
References Citations
Bibliography
External links
Waterbeach Barracks and Airfield (Urban&Civic) Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum (former Barracks Museum) 12 (Force Support) Engineer Group, Royal Engineers (now at RAF Wittering) 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support), Royal Engineers (now at Kinloss Barracks)